Chamber News Feed: Somerset County, NJ: (BRANCHBURG, NJ) Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg held a ceremony Oct. 21 to mark the groundbreaking of the expansion of the college’s 12-year-old Christine Todd Whitman Science Center. The 23,500 square-foot addition will include five science labs and four classrooms to accommodate the growing number of students interested in majoring in science-related fields. The Building Our Future Bond Act, which was approved by New Jersey voters in November 2012, paved the way for the much-needed addition. The $9.5 million project will be funded by $7.1 million in state funds and $2.4 million in county support. “This is more than just a construction project at RVCC—it’s an investment in our students and their education. Providing our students with state-of-the-art facilities is essential in preparing them to succeed and thrive in a highly skilled workforce of the future. The Science Center expansion project will nearly double the size of the building, enabling us to greatly expand our ability to offer classes in high-demand subjects such as chemistry, anatomy and physiology, physics, environmental science, engineering and biology,” said RVCC President Michael J. McDonough. “It is not by accident that the number of Engineering majors at RVCC has doubled over the last five years, or that the Environmental Science program now has five times as many students as it did in 2007. This building houses an energetic, inspiring and innovative Science and Engineering Department, and not one square inch of the new addition will go to waste. With it, we will be able to offer more classes, engage with our students in exciting new ways, carry out new student research projects, and most importantly, prepare more of our students for their own successful futures as scientists, engineers, healthcare workers, and engaged and informed citizens,” said Dr. Sarah Imbriglio, Professor of Chemistry and Chair of the Science and Engineering Department. Since the Science Center opened there has been an explosion in the number of students enrolled in science and health-related majors—from 601 students in 2002 to 1651 this year. These majors, which require a number of lab courses, include biology, chemistry, biotechnology, engineering, nursing, health science and environmental science. The expanded facility is expected to be completed in January 2016. “For the last two years I have been actively involved in the planning stages of the expansion of the Science Building, including talking with the architects and looking into the best ways to create space for active and engaged learning for our students. The expansion of the Science Building will allow us not only to offer more classes, but also to expand on the student and faculty research that will give our students a competitive edge after they graduate RVCC,” said Dr. Margaret Czerw, Professor of Chemistry. The addition, which follows college’s commitment to sustainability, has been designed to achieve LEED Silver certification. The structure will feature such sustainable attributes as water and energy efficiency and recycled or regionally sourced building materials. The four classrooms will be designed to offer significant flexibility in teaching methods. Virtually all of the furniture will be on casters to readily permit either a lecture or group configuration. Every wall may be used as a writing or projection surface. “This addition gives the science students of RVCC a place to build a strong community,” noted RVCC student Sean Ryan, President of the College’s Engineering Club. The college’s main campus is at 118 Lamington Road. For further information, visit raritanval.edu. Your Bernards Township Regional Chamber of Commerce Works for You!
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 10:10:54 +0000
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